I just got a pair of mest mk2 and it's made me appreciate the mangird xenns up even more. The mest have more detail and sparkle but the up have great bass and sound more engaging and more enjoyable with less treble sparkle making them even easier to listen to for longer. Both great but the xenns up is an easy recommendation. Easily equal if not better than the mest mk2 or any iem I've heard so far.
Congrats on a great first video. Instant subscription. You seem to have an emotional connection to what you are reviewing, not just information, and that is ultimately what I am looking for. Plus BGGAR is your first commenter.... that is saying something.
the price point is a bit out of my audio budget at the time being but I definitely plan to get these at some point. They are just so beautiful and every time I hear them in the demo I just kind of melt in my chair. If they sound anywhere close IRL than I will be 1 happy camper. BTW "real" is what I am after... I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what I like and its simple... to MY ear it just needs to sound natural, like its in the real world. Like I hear something an its so "real" I have to take my headphone off an question if someone's in the house.
Great review pal been excited for these since bggar , l9 presents music in a way I just love and these sound like an upgraded l9 with a similar tonality
The thing you said about identifying pieces in the music that are the cause of your descriptions will be great; careful with using popular music on the actual channel though, I'm pretty sure their bots are not afraid to copyright strike. Looking forward for things to come and yes, enjoy your gear 😊
Yea I was wondering about that. If I play off actual music for people to hear, and RU-vid recognized a copyrighted track, would they block the video and/or channel entirely? Or, would I be able to host the video but just be de-monetized? I’m ok with being demonetized if that’s all that happens.
@@dansaudioreviews usually the bit with the music gets muted. But it depends on the owner of the song really. I'm sure some artists just don't care - but you probably couldn't get away with something really famous.
@@Halomaster4ever I’m going to run an upload through their system, with all tracks just playing, and see what gets flagged. I’ll make a playlist that has no muting or blocking involved (if I can figure that out this way). Thank you for steering me in the right direction!
Excited to see your reviews, man! My only hope in the long run is that you try to include a wider genre range than people usually do, not to mention that people usually test gear on stuff that's well-mastered to begin with
@@dansaudioreviews Perfect, can't wait :D It'd also be helpful if the test tracks you're using is something classic like Led Zeppelin or Pink Floyd - both of which have had LITERALLY dozens of different masterings of their albums - to say which specific release you're listening to. Can say from experience that a Dark Side of the Moon CD released in the 80s sounds wholly different from the newest remasters. Very minute, of course, but since this entire hobby is all about describing the intricate details which differentiate this piece of gear from the next, then it seems almost silly to me to disregard the different masterings of well-known songs that are out there :)
@@stewiegriffin993 totally agree. I have at least a couple very well known songs, and one of them happens to be stairway to heaven actually. I bit overplayed I guess, but the song is great.
Mine was bass-shy when i first got them altho the treble was sparkly. I was a bit puzzled as all the reviews rated it as a basshead's IEM. It was only after 3 weeks into using them that the sound 'blossomed' - the bass was more meaty/substantial and the sound was more 'effortless' altho Im not quite used to the sparkly treble (I prefer a darker sound and find brightness extremely morbid) altho overall it does add to the spaciousness and pristineness of the overall sound. I'm not a firm believer of burn-in (at least not for earphones compared to speakers) but this experience proved me wrong. I'm new to IEMs (all along was using over-ear planar magnetic cans) and the audio quality inconsistency caused by the (improper or wrong angle or depth) fitting inside the ear canals is a huge turnoff when I first ventured into IEMs. I wouldn't call these basshead IEMs, more like an audiophile IEM with above average bass in quantity as well as quality. If the song doesn't have deep bass you wont hear it, which is unlike my true basshead IEM the Campfire Audio Mammoths which makes every song bass heavy lol. That one i use primarily for 80/90s pop/rock albums which have less than stellar recording quality or are bass thin.
I would totally buy these if they were around $500. Alas, $700 is currently outside my price range. These don't graph very dark, the UP appears to have pretty decent treble extension.
The Xenns Up has been labeled "basshead delight" by some reviewer online. I'm curious how do they stack up to the Empire Ears Legend x (or evo) or Odin? If they are just about as good as the EE iems then they would definitely be worth a go.
Cool! Thanks for the sub. I'll be having a video up for impressions on the P1 in a few weeks, along with ranking it on my rankings chart. So, hopefully, you'll be able to see how my thoughts and comparisons may guide future buys into higher priced territory (if you ever go for the pricey stuff).
@@dansaudioreviews I'm planning a near field speaker and a sub 1k iem in a year or two (and maybe a 2 300 dollar headphone). And stopping from the buying part of the hobby. So let's see what future holds! 😁
Hi what’s better these or the tops I had the tops before I now have the sa6 mk2 but thinking of selling to get the up would like more bass would it be and upgrade or down grade from the sa6 mk2
How does a xenns up compare with something like an HD6XX in terms of fidelity? Are $600 IEMs good enough to beat reference open-back headphones in the $200-300 range?
My experience with moondrop kato, on an Ifi Zen stack...blows my HD6XX out of the water. No comparison. The UP should be a no brainer although I haven't heard a set.
By the GODS! The sweet, velvety texture of your voice flows through my ears like mead down my chin. Hail ye, child of Asgard, reaper of subscribers, and harbinger of headphones. To Valhalla!
I would love to see comparison of Claires with Oracle…🙂 Also I would like to ask why do you prefere the Mest mk 1 over the mk2… and last thing… I think I ordered similar or same cable from XINHS for my Tanchjim O2… it is 4core single crystal copper silver plated for about $72 I got it for about $50 still on the way I am very courious how it’s gonna sound…☀️… reminds me ThieAudio cable I saw on Linsoul… Thank you😃✌️
Heft comment! I’ll try to give you good responses for each question/thought. 1. I preferred the OG MEST over the MKII at the time I compared them, which was fairly brief, because I liked the higher treble of the originals. It gave me just a tad more excitement and perceived clarity/air. They’re honestly so close though. The MEST MKI was more “fun” to me, whereas the MKII was more mature and smooth sounding, while still retaining maybe 95% of the same treble sound as the MKI. I would probably recommend the MKII to most people, but the MKI is just a tad more exciting to me at times. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice, and if I had the chance…I would love to try comparing the two again now that I’ve spent so much time with the MKI. 2. Even though cables may make a difference in sound, the difference, to my ear, is small enough that I consider convenience typically as a more important factor for me. I really love how the aftermarket cable on my MEST is so soft and less massive than other cables. It means I can wrap them up and contain them in a small case more easily, and it means that they weigh less on my ears and help make the IEMs feel weightless. Maybe some day I need to do a thorough cable swap experiment to see if the sound difference is enough for me to prefer using a thicker cable, silver vs copper, etc. 3. I would also LOVE to see a Clairvoyanace and Oracle comparison, but I have to stick to some more affordable purchases to start the channel off, along with the expensive stuff I’ve already got on hand. Those $500+ single purchases really hit hard! Haha. Hopefully over time, the support I get in the future will help me buy more high end stuff to do more interesting high end comparing. Enjoy your gear! Thanks for stopping by and asking questions. I’m always interested in helping others out :)
Thank you for the full on answer… I subscribed to you immediately… before you even commented😃👍I felt abou the Mest same way after watching a few reviews Mk1 being maybe little hotter in treble but for someone who doesn’t mind little little bit more exciting… both fenomenal sets of course…. The cables long conversation… but it is a alchemy… Good luck to Your channel!!♥️✌️
nice review, good to see other impressions, if you already had the tea and wanted an up grade which will you go for the clayr or the up, you will still be keeping the tea's
Great question. I don’t have the Tea yet, but they are on their way. Probably august though :( From what I’ve heard about the Tea though, it could be possible that the Clair is the better companion…but I really need them in my hands before you can quote me on that. Sorry if that isn’t the most helpful right now, but I want to be honest :) I could look at graphs and help assess what COULD be true about the Tea, but graphs can be very deceiving.
@@Tomzak11 yea. I got the Tea and it is now my top recommendation at its price or under. Compared to the UP and Clair though, I prefer the Clair. I like the Clair more than the UP too. Everyone may feel differently. If you like a warmer set, with more bass, the UP is good. But I personally prefer the Clair a lot more for my tastes. I don’t like how warm the UP is. It can be fun, maybe more than the others, for some tracks…but the Clair is by far the safer set for most music.
@@dansaudioreviews thanks for the response, yes i think the clairvoyance will be my bet more an all a rounder, and and up grade, but i don't know if a save more and see if they have a good descount on the mest or mest mk2 the labor day they had it for 800 but didn't had the money in muy hands yet
@@Tomzak11 oh interesting…I mean I guess if a sale comes up that would be ideal. Audio is crazy though. The MEST may be my best, and others too, but you never know. The tuning is pretty bright. May or may not be for you at the end of the day. I wish you luck and hope what you do get makes you happy!
Great question. While I think these are very enjoyable for all those types of music, I want to dig a bit more into those genres before I outright give you my personal choice of the UP against others. I think it’s a safe bet. My favorite contemporary rock group, Dead Letter Circus, sounds satisfying on the UP, with a full rock sound along with clear vocals and guitar, etc. I’ve also plenty enjoyed the UP on many classic rock tracks. But the question about do I like them…when it comes to giving advice, I want to be sure I don’t ignore something else that may be competitive. MEST is great on practically everything, for example, including rock. But…the UP does sound better to my taste on some classic rock I’ve tested so far (AC/DC highway to hell, for example, sounds fantastic and fuller on the UP). I’ll do some thinking and try to get back to you on other recs! I also have a TON of new IEM’s at much cheaper prices to listen to this month. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a gem among them for rock!
I would prefer the UP. It has a richer texture and impression overall. The IE600 is a wonderful balanced set, if you’re into that though. Personally, I go for tricks. I like the fun tweaking of the bass and treble. The 600 avoids that, while the UP has fun.
Hi I have Clairs already and was thinking of the Xenns because clairs are a bit too large for me. Do you think they are a good replacement or coming from clairs should I go straight to mest ?
To me, once I got the MEST, I stopped listening to the Clairs. I would say the MEST is a great companion with either the UP, Timeless, or MEST. I wouldn’t own the MEST and Clair at the same time. Personally anyway.
Hello. I have a question. For a dap to use for gym I am looking for something around 100 bucks. Now what I need is mw power, and a good eq. I got the fiio m3.hiby r2 and r3. And I can't use it because they have a bad eq that affects volume about 6 to 10 db. No point for them to be 70mw power when I change the ew it goes down to 30mw and the Sony nw a55 has only 45mw. But a perfect eq that does not change other fz like this hiby does. Other thing is the mseb, you spoke about that and I don't think you had time with that. I had.its real bad, bass extention does not go on bass and affects mids, then you had mids to be forward because you lost vocal volume and then change the air because the voice become thicker and then the bass extention goes back to 0. Is like a having a seating that says, to loose weigh press this. And other that says. Loose weight with burgers, and when you add loose weight with burgers the loose weight goes back to default. It makes no sense that eq. Thicker instruments changes voice tone. Temperature changes bass and voice. Is like you send 3 hours back and forwards and all people speak about this without having a trial. Then I say, screw this crap. Back to eq and volume goes down that I need to play at 100% and all distortion comes on. It's bad. So I ask a simple question. What eq is good that does not affect volume. And what dap is strong in volume because I have 50 iems and some they need power. Thanks
Qudelix 5K isn’t maybe what you’re asking about (it’s just a portable DAC/amp, but doesn’t play music on its own), but it offers good power and a nice sound. Though personally, I stick to a simple adapter on my iPhone and I get plenty of power for my ears/tastes. If you feel you need more power than an adapter on a phone provides, then I can see you wanting a portable DAC/amp or a dedicated DAP for your music that has a lot of power. Unfortunately, I don’t have experience using DAPs. I’ve just been happy plugging into my phone and using either its power or the power of a DAC/amp attached to it. And these days, I’ve ditched the portable DAC/amps and just stick to a lightning to 3.5 or 2.5 adapter. Not sure about android phones, if that’s what you have, but I’ve had plenty of power for my taste with the iPhone. Sorry I don’t have a DAP recommendation if that’s what you’re going for though :( I just don’t have experience with them first hand.
Wouldn’t you think, it would be possible, to find more of these cases, to contain iems? Maybe larger even? It is so weird. We have a problem with innovation in the country, after having quite a boom of innovation, ending about 10 years ago. We need more competition. It breeds creativity.
Thank you for the wonderful content and your efforts. Two quick questions if possible. I have been out of the audiophile world for a while and the last good IEM I’ve got is the Shure se846, they sound absolutely beautiful are these new tribrids (xenns up) better in terms of sound and imaging compared to good quality BA drivers (and is it worth the investment)? Also I see you carry around high quality gear (stax, …) do these iem remotely compare to how good stax or other high end open back sound?
Good questions! I’ve found the tribrids to be my preferred sets compared to anything I’ve tried otherwise for IEMs. That being said, I’ve only tried so many things (see rankings list). I haven’t had experience with the Shure. There may also be stuff out there that aren’t tribrids that I would actually enjoy significantly. I have many more IEM’s, that aren’t tribrids, coming soon and plan to have videos about :) Some have a lot of hype surrounding them and for a budget too! As for how IEM’s compare to over ear, high tier headphones? That’s tricky. While IEMs can sound a bit more in the head or closer in with the staging, I’ve found some to be great with distancing and separation (namely, the Unique Melody MEST). In terms of resolution of details, perceived clarity, and tuning, IEM’s can be just as good or better than most headphones. I’ve honestly listened to my IEMs more recently than I have with headphones. Well, also due to their convenience of course, but also if I’m at home! I listen to them more than headphones now, simply for how much better of a time I’ve been having with them. But…the pendulum swings back and forth. I feel an urge to go back to headphones now for a period. They do have a more immersive sound that can seem to come from more around you, since they do go around your ears. There’s also a physical impact the bass can have on the ears themselves that is nice with headphones which you don’t get with IEMs.
Not sure from first hand experience yet. I have the Tea arriving in a couple weeks (hopefully). Graphs and other people seem to suggest they’re different. UP being a lot warmer.
I really wish I had the Oracle so I could make such comparisons. I do have the Clairvoyanace though, and they are apples and oranges. (Xenns up has a bass forward approach, with still good treble; Clairs are more balanced overall). If I get Patreons, someday, then I may be able to buy more of the higher priced gear more often like the Oracle, to make more comparisons. For now though, I have a lot of other gear on hand I can start on!
I own these and I don't think foam tips sound good on these. The stock silicone seem to be my favorite. Spin fit tips are good too. What tips have you tried on these? The sound changes so much with the tips on this iem.
Yea, my favorite too are silicone. I use Spinfit CP145, medium or large. I’ve tried Campfire Audio Marshmallow foam, my favorite foam tips, but I still preferred Spinfit. I have also many other silicone tips, but always seem to come back to Spinfit for easy seal, comfort, and sound.
Is Xenns Up good for female vocals? I'm looking for iems that are bassy and good for female vocals I'm torn between Xenns Up or moondrop variations. Great video.
I’ve actually been listening to the UP a lot lately, and it’s more favorable to me than it was originally. It used to sound too warm, but now I’m enjoying it and it doesn’t come off badly warm. As for female vocals, nothing compares to the MEST. But against the variations? I don’t know since I haven’t tried them :( I would say that female vocals are good on the UP. Though, where people find the most to dislike, is the male vocals. The mids tend to sound recessed compared to other gear, since the bass bleeds into the mids a bit. I hope this helps, sorry if I couldn’t tell you about variations!
Hi I love to hear your thoughts on comparison between xenns up and campfire audio Dorado 2020 which is better bass. Thank you so much for your consideration!
I wish I could offer commentary but I haven’t had any experience with the Dorado. Hopefully I will though someday, as the channel grows and I get more support. Actually…maybe I’ll reach out to campfire and ask for review units!
Oh sorry to not get to this message! And here I thought I got all of them on my list. Glad to answer your question :) The OG happens to fit my ears very nicely. The OG bodies do stick out further out of my ear though than any other IEM I own. While not the slimmest appearance, the actual fit inside my ear is fine. I have a good seal without any work. No tip rolling is required to make a good seal. The bad fit is that the shell is so large that some ears may be uncomfortable with such a large shell pressed against some pinna (outer ear) ridges. My ears are bigger though, so it doesn't bother me. I'm lucky! I really like the Spinfit's CP145 (medium or large) on the OG MEST nozzle. The Spinfits give me as comfortable as I got with silicone tips. Otherwise, if you want you can try the Campfire Audio's "marshmallow" tips. They create a fantastic seal, plus are very comfortable, and they reduce harsh spikes in tuning. The marshmallow tips though took a bit of energy off of the MEST that made them special in the first place. So you may have sensitivity to high treble spots, but you may not. I got used to the set quickly enough and, soon, the stuffed being played back didn't bother me anymore and I only enjoyed the MEST more. In terms of driver flex, I can't say for sure if I experienced that! Sorry again for taking so long to get back to you. Hope this helps :)
I see you have an HE6se v2 on your desk. I just bought these for about the same price as the Xenns Up at Adorama ($649), and I’ve been enjoying them on a powerful amp (about 5W per channel). My question: I am within the return window for the HE6se v2, I only have $700 to spend, and I was previously looking at tribrids, and it looks like the Xenns Up might be the best of the current lot, outside of the MEST which is outside my budget. If you could have only one set, the HE6se v2 or the Xenns Up, and you only had IEMs < $200 otherwise, which of these two would you get for your best all rounder at $700?
HE6SE V2 is a better all arounder than the UP, to my ear and tastes. The UP is very warm with much music, warmer than I like at times. While the UP is very fun, and on some tracks beautifully clear, on many it is more difficult to hear the mids enough to enjoy as well as with something more balanced like the MEST or HE6SE. Though, of course, the UP is portable and easier to use in more situations than a full sized, open back, wired headphone like the HE6SE.
@@dansaudioreviews really appreciate the thoughtful reply and excellent advice. I had my eye on a MEST for quite a while also, but am quite happy for now. I also have the P1 which I saw you reviewed, and pair it with the E1DA PDV2 with EQ. Simply amazing what this combo can do at its price.
@@Luinitari Yea! I'm looking forward to hearing them again as I plan on trying them side by side with the other Tinhifis. And I want to try it with my desktop amp, just to cover my bases when I try them again.
@@dansaudioreviews they take EQ extremely well, which elevates them to a totally new level compared to just feeding them more power. The PVD2 is perfect for that, but of course any desktop app can EQ them also in SW too.
I enjoy the Clair more. The UP has some areas, like make vocals, that hide just a tad further from the front than I would prefer. Though, the UP has nice detail retrieval. Overall I prefer the relaxed and still very enjoyable sound of the Clairvoyance.
@@dansaudioreviews thank you again, i have the Monarch already and thinking if getting less analytical and more fun like clair or oracle or xenn. Still undecided with oracle or clair
@@siyanaba I wish I had my Clair back from Linsoul repairs. One of the connecting points got too loose, wire kept falling out. I wish too that I had the Oracle to compare. A video comparing all the ThieAudio would be great! Alongside a couple favorites like MEST and 7Hz Timeless :)
I wish I could! My budget right now though kind of limits me to buying many cheaper items, rather than one big item. I really really do wish I could compare all the high ends but it’s tough right now. Someday when as revenue and patreon support grows, I could pick up the pace on higher priced gear. Stay tuned I guess! Or hey, maybe someone in the community may want to lend me their gear for review. That would work too.
I recommend when you do reviews. Speaks about volume on phone. I never use the phone. But I know if I play on an mp3 player.i know that I need at least 70mw 16ohm output power. So many mistakes I did by buying iem and play them on my Sony player that only has 40mw power and was not enough to feed the headphones. Phones even with a 32 bit dac dongle play at 25mw. So it's nice to know. Other thing is the nozzle. Long nozzle perfect for sweat conditions . Shirt Nozzles perfect for home use. Nobody talks about that. Then the iem body like mangird tea. Long shape body and long Nozzles. Perfect even for gym. Not like the se40 iem that in the gym. Every 10 seconds I am pushing in. So its nice to let people know about this iems. Other fact is some reviewers they like bright and fun. Music should be heard in the same way was recorded.a deep voice should sound deep. Sony iem are the best in voice for me. Even a 30 dollars iem in mid deep voice they kick ass iems with 200 dollars. Good luck
Great recommendation! I have a Sony in my recently ordered stuff. I'm looking forward to comparing it to other gear (it's a Sony IE 100 Pro). With regard to the phone, I've recently been using it exclusively to power my IEMS, with no portable DAC/amp apart from the Apple lightning to 3.5 dongle - plus a 3.5 to 2.5mm adapter. I used to use a Qudelix 5K, and still recommend it for power hungry IEMs if someone needs more power, but the phone itself has been enough for me for all my IEMs these days.
@@dansaudioreviews I only use dac for phones because I have the ultra s21. I use the spectra. Its good. But I have 3 mp3 players for the music. Fiio m6.hiby r2 and r3 . And sony nw55. The hiby sounds great. But terrible eq,worst eq In history. But has power . Sony best eq ever but no power. The hiby eq lowers the volume by 6db if you had bass and changes the other frequency too. It's bad. And the have this dsp crap for voice or instruments that it's even worst .
@@dansaudioreviews I got many iem. But the etymotic is the one I like the least. Great mids for the xr2. Great highs. Crap bass. And crap worst volume and when I get a dac to play at 70mw. Sounds like the speaker will burst . Lol. For people that low volumes with no bass. For me I like my tone like a recording studio. I play guitar and record my own stuff. So for me guitar,voices drums should be set at monitors studio eq or live. When I see people saying that they like etymotic because they like balanced tone . I laugh. Very far away from reality the bass. Mids and the rest is fine. But for that size. I prefer the v.moda nz, they Great.
@@paulosilva8200 lol! I have the sennheisers. I completely mis-remembered the brand of the thing sitting on my desk haha. I’ve gotten so many new IEM’s in waiting to review, my head doesn’t remember everything right :)
